From a practising UK surgeon to a serial entrepreneur, a Dubai resident’s tale

From a practising UK surgeon to a serial entrepreneur, a Dubai resident’s tale

For UAE-based British citizen Amanda Powell, being a qualified doctor and a practicing surgeon were once roles that became too incompatible with her family life. This is what made the 44-year-old to not only quit a decade-long stint with the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), but also pursue entrepreneurship.

The Dubai resident then decided to shift her career focus to a more lucrative field of medicine, plastics and aesthetics, and subsequently went on to start her own clinic. This was the first of six businesses - of which two are now sold - she would later start over the span of the next eight years. But this wasn’t entirely unfamiliar territory for her.

“My father was a very successful businessman with a few businesses. He is my inspiration. Although he had a team of admins, I was his little secretary growing up. He would always get me to type up his letters. Growing up in that environment, I learnt how to earn and make more money,” Powell said.

Juggling jobs pre-entrepreneurship

However, her personal journey towards entrepreneurship began with her taking multiple odd jobs back when she was still studying medicine. “My first job was as a part-time waitress in a Thai restaurant in